New research promises significant advances in the race to reduce charging times in electric vehicles. It is a battery that can refuel an average of 200 kilometers of autonomy with only five minutes of connection to high-power terminals.
The advanced energy source was developed thanks to an alliance between the automaker SAIC-GM -a partnership established between the Chinese manufacturer and the American General Motors– and the giant CATL, a Chinese company specialized in the development of energy cells.
Reportedly, it is a LFP (lithium-ferrophosphate) battery with super-fast charge category 6C, which means that it can be refueled to 100% in one sixth of an hour. That is, in theory, it would take only 10 minutes.
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Currently, the EV battery that offers the fastest charge is rated at 5.5C and is only available in one model that is exclusively marketed in the Chinese market.
According to CATL and SAIC-GM, the new battery optimizes charging power to the maximum thanks to an improved electrolyte, which increases conductivity and reduces viscosity.
However, an article published by motorpasion.com clarifies that this development focuses only on the battery’s charging speed, without extending its capacity or autonomy.
Despite this, it represents an important advance by reducing refueling times, bringing electric vehicles closer to internal combustion vehicles in this aspect.
On the other hand, the report adds that this is an LFP battery, whose main advantage, in addition to a longer useful life, is that they are more economical to produce, which allows projecting that the vehicles that incorporate it will be able to maintain a more competitive price in the markets.
It was also indicated that this battery will begin to be installed in production vehicles as of next year, being integrated in the next evolution of the Ultium platform to be launched by General Motors, which will be based on a 900 V system.
